


Flu Season

by YukiSetsu



Series: 12 Days of (Lance) Whumpmas [6]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: ??? - Freeform, Angst, Gen, He gets better, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Kinda, Sickfic, after some pain :'), but not bad, lance with the flu, very light angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2017-12-19
Packaged: 2019-02-16 23:26:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13064382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YukiSetsu/pseuds/YukiSetsu
Summary: Lance comes down with the flu before a mission. And although he tries to ignore it to do his job, it turns out to be a bad idea once things take a turn for the worst.





	Flu Season

**Author's Note:**

> RIP at my posting schedule being a day off now smhh this is what i get for messing up my sleep schedule
> 
> also can someone teach me how to title things because wow

Lance got sick whenever winter rolled around back on Earth, the symptoms hitting him quick and hard right before the holiday season really kicked in. It never lasted long, but the recovery period was never a fun time. It was like clockwork, honestly. But after getting shot up into space, things like seasonal changes and sense of time grew more difficult to track, especially when he had to deal with saving the universe.

But when Lance woke up that morning, a sluggish weight settling in his head, he wondered what season it was on Earth. He hadn't considered that he'd even get the flu up in space, given the different living environment. His body felt sore, an uncomfortable aching in his bones that pricked at him every time he moved. He hoped that today would be a slow day so he could rest most of it off.

Of course, he hoped too soon. “Paladins, meet me at the bridge immediately.” Allura called out, voice resounding through the Castle.

Lance groaned, pushing himself out of bed and shivering at the cold air that greeted him outside of the blanket. He felt the onset of a headache pressing behind his eyes, and he blew out a heavy breath. It was fine. It wasn't bad yet. He just needed to get through whatever Allura needed, and then he'd come back here and take a nap.

It turned out to be a mission focused on clearing out a suspected Galra hideout on a deserted planet. If it was still active, there was a chance it was sneaking intel to the Empire. Lance listened as best he could, desperate to focus on anything asides from how crappy he felt. He didn't offer up any of his usual quips during the briefing, although no one seemed to complain. They were sent off, and Lance headed towards his hangar. Quite frankly, he was surprised he had the energy to make it down the zipline.

Blue greeted him with a gentle prod of concern when he flopped into the pilot seat, exhausted. Lance grinned, ignoring the lightheaded sensation in his head.

“I'm fine, girl.” He called out as he waved a dismissive hand. “Don't worry about me.” He activated his comm, hearing the others already on.

“Alright team, let's get this done.” Shiro said, ever the leader.

He steered Blue out of her hangar and into the expanse of space, hoping the sounds of acknowledgement from the others would cover for him as well. Geez, he was tired already.

“Earth to Lance, you there?” Hunk chimed in.

Lance slumped against the seat as Blue flew. “'Course I am, man. You think Blue's flying on her own?”

“No, you just haven't been talking.” Keith said.

Lance grinned at that. “Aw, miss my voice, Keith?”

Keith groaned. “Forget I asked.”

Pidge piped up then, talking about some blind spot for their Lions to land in, and Lance was grateful for the distraction. They landed with no problem, and Pidge hacked one of the doors for them to sneak in. Shiro suggested they split up to cover ground faster, to Lance's relief. He was pretty sure he'd be trailing way behind the group if they went together.

“Speak up on the comms if you need something. And be careful for any Galra. If this really is still an active hideout, we'll need to deal with them.” Shiro added once they went their separate ways.

Lance blew out a breath, bringing out his bayard as he trudged forward. He felt way worse than the morning, that was for sure. He glanced down the hallway, which seemed to get longer the more he looked. He forced himself to walk, peeking into empty rooms and checking for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. So far, so good.

But when Hunk harshly whispered into the comms about spotting a Galra drone patrol up ahead, Lance winced at the noise. Pidge told Hunk to take it out, to which Hunk responded that he already did. Lance didn't mind staying on the comms, usually. He tended to be the one that talked the most anyways, but today, any sort of noise seemed to grate in his ears, threatening to worsen his headache to the point where he lost all focus.

Shiro mentioned using the comms only when they needed something, so Lance figured he could turn his off for a few seconds. The silence was a thankful reprieve, and Lance leaned heavily against the wall as he willed his headache to calm down. The fact that he felt so cold didn't help, either. Seriously, it was like he wasn't even wearing any armor to insulate him.

There was a scuffling noise behind him, something that barely processed into his mind before he heard the sound of a laser. His side suddenly felt like it was on fire, and Lance cried out as he stumbled forward. He whipped around, the haze in his head clearing enough to make out two Galra soldiers running down the hallway towards him, guns at the ready. There wasn't even any time to think, and Lance had his bayard up and firing in an instant. He was lucky his shots met the targets before they could fire again, and they both went down in sparks. He waited a few seconds to see if any backup came, chest heaving. Nothing yet, although he couldn't rest assured from that.

He ducked into the nearest room, which was thankfully darkened and devoid of any activity. The room lit up at his entrance, but he didn't care. He slumped against the wall, sliding to the ground with a groan. The bayard fell into his lap as he tried to probe at his side. The sudden jolt of pain had him jerking his hand away with a gasp. It felt more like the laser had grazed it instead, but Lance couldn't be sure. His head was spinning, and everything hurt too much for him to know what was exactly going on.

Lance shuddered, the last of his energy seemingly draining away with each second. He was so tired. How long has it been since he turned his comm off? He needed to call someone. Would they get mad at him? Probably. But more Galra might come, and he couldn't just sit there.

He turned the comm back on, swallowing the dry feeling in his throat. “Guys...?”

“Lance?” It was Hunk. “What's up?”

Lance bit back a whimper, his headache throbbing painfully. “There were two... I got them, but... One got me, too.”

“What?” Hunk spoke a bit louder, alarm creeping into his voice. “Two what? Galra? What do you mean, they got you? Are you injured?”

“Yeah... Sorry.” Lance mumbled, fighting to even his breaths. His body hurt every time his chest hitched, and he wanted nothing more to just be back in bed and under the covers.

There was a flurry of noise on the comms that sounded muffled past the pounding in Lance's head, and he couldn't make out what they were saying. But then Shiro spoke, voice carrying easily over the others.

“Lance, I'm closest to your location, so I'll be right there. The others are coming, too. Don't move.”

Lance took another breath. “Okay. I'm sorry.”

“And stop apologizing.” Pidge cut in, voice sharp. “You didn't do anything wrong.”

Lance didn't answer, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back against the wall. For a few moments, he just focused on breathing. He wanted to sleep. He wanted to be warm. He wanted his mom's soup. He wanted to stop hurting. The wound on his side burned insistently, and he tried to stay still enough as to not agitate it more.

The ground trembled with footsteps, and Lance opened his eyes in time to see Shiro storm in. He looked worried, and it only looked more so once he spotted Lance and dropped to his knees next to him. His eyes glanced down, widening once they landed on Lance's injury.

“Oh no... Lance, can you hear me?”

Lance nodded weakly. “Loud 'n clear, bossman...”

Shiro gave a tight smile as he moved Lance's bayard aside. “Good. I'll help you back to the Lions, okay?”

What? They couldn't go yet. Lance struggled to raise a hand and stop Shiro from reaching for him. “N-no, I didn't... finish my area... The mission—”

“Pidge found the main control center and did a scan of the building. There's nothing left, so it's okay. The mission's done. You did great.”

What was Shiro saying? He hardly did anything for the mission. Lance shook his head. “I didn't...”

Hunk suddenly barreled into the room, chest heaving and eyes wide. He was over in an instant, hands hovering worriedly over Lance's body.

“Woah, oh man.” Hunk moaned, finally spotting the injury. “Are you injured anywhere else?”

“No.” Lance managed out.

Hunk watched him carefully, expression unconvinced. “Are you sure? You're shivering, dude.” His eyes widened some more, and the next thing Lance knew, Hunk was pulling his helmet off. Lance could barely protest the action when a hand fell on his forehead, the cool sensation a distracting relief.

“Shiro, he's got a bad fever.” Hunk said, grim. “I'm not sure, might be the flu.” He looked back at Lance in dismay. “Did you know you were sick before we started this mission?”

Lance wished he had to energy to look away. He almost felt a bit guilty at the question. “It wasn't this bad when I woke up...”

“Still, you should've said something.” Shiro said, frowning.

Lance felt his stomach clench uneasily. Of course. He put the mission at risk by not saying anything. “Sorry...”

Shiro shook his head, expression softening. “I thought Pidge told you to stop apologizing. I'm not mad, Lance. None of us are. Your health comes first. Okay?” He reached out a hand, squeezing Lance's shoulder gently.

Lance swallowed thickly, the words taking a bit longer to sink in. “Okay,” he said quietly.

Shiro nodded. “Hunk, can you hold onto his bayard? Lance, I'll carry you back. Is it okay if I move you?”

Lance nodded, letting Hunk put his helmet back on before Shiro shifted to lift him up. The movement irritated Lance's side, and a groan escaped between his teeth. Shiro stood up, apologizing profusely as he headed back towards the door.

Exhaustion was fully settling in at this point, and Lance's eyes fluttered shut once they went back into the hall, although he caught a glimpse of Keith and Pidge standing outside. Hunk did most of the talking as they walked, which Lance was glad for. The rocking motion had the drowsiness filling Lance's head, coaxing him to rest. He didn't remember falling asleep, but he gladly welcomed it.

 

* * *

 

Lance woke up the sound of a pod hissing open as he stumbled into Hunk's waiting arms. The others were quick to surround him, varying expressions of relief on their faces.

“How are you feeling, my boy?” Coran asked, a warm hand on Lance's shoulder once Hunk put him down.

Lance blinked, trying to get his bearings. His side definitely healed, but he still felt... off. “I dunno. Little dizzy.”

Hunk clicked his tongue, moving to lead Lance to his room. “You're probably still sick. I don't know if the pod can heal flus, but you need to rest.”

And Hunk was right. Lance's fever spiked back up once he was changed and back in bed, but the extra blankets that Pidge brought in kept from feeling too cold. He didn't remember much, just that he slept a lot. He woke up again later to Hunk bringing in a bowl of some kind of soup, which tasted a bit like mushrooms.

“Dude, you know the flu's contagious, right?” Lance said, waving his hand in a shooing gesture when he caught Hunk settling down on the edge of the bed. “You're gonna catch it if you stay too long.”

Hunk shrugged. “Guess you'll have to nurse me back to health if I do.” He grinned, a playful glint in his eyes. “We'll see who's the better caretaker.”

Lance smiled as he heard the door slide open, looking up to the see others pile into the room. Just like Hunk, they insisted on staying, although they promised to leave in a bit so that the entire team didn't get hit with the flu. Lance was still thankful, though. The recovery period was just as tiresome as it was back on Earth, but the company he had made going through it a lot better.

 


End file.
